Thursday, June 01, 2006

Aftershock Beyond The Civil War

AFTERSHOCK - A Post Civil War Documentary for the History Channel

This film is about the post-civil war period known as 'Reconstruction'. Production started June 1st, in Massachsuetts. I have a role in it. The scene I'm in will film next week. I'll definitely brief you on the shoot.

The script is based on true incidences and its atrocious how blacks were murdered and mistreated. White would hire blacks to work their land then refuse to pay them resultng in some blacks starving to death.

Black men, women and children were murdered for sport! A black woman who spoke up against the Klan was stripped naked and whipped in front of her family, then the Klan whipped her daughters!

It was an awful time for blacks and whites who felt the pain of losing their old way of life because of the Civil War. I think films like Gone With the Wind have shaped a lot of peoples thoughts on Reconstruction. Aftershock will definitely be an eye opener.

Meanwhile here is an article on the interest that the film is generating:

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Crackle of rifle fire, smell of gunpowder to fill Air

By Ariel Z. Burch/ Staff Writer Thursday, June 1, 2006

Westford Police Dispatchers may receive a higher number of strange calls the weekend of June 8, but the gunshots, flames and suspicious-looking men in Civil War era-garb will all be part of a History Channel documentary.

"Aftershock," a two-hour special about the post-Civil War South, will be filmed in Sutton and in Westford on town-owned land at the end of Vine Brook Road along Nashoba Pond, also known as Kennedy Pond.

Conservation Commissioner William Turner and the Board of Selectmen have given Producer-Director David Padrusch of Limulus Productions permission to film on Thursday, June 8, Friday, June 9 and Saturday, June 10.

Padrusch said some scenes will be violent and very dramatic due to the nature of the film.

"During a period known as 'Reconstruction,' a time many consider to be one of the darkest in American history, America is supposed to be reuniting, healing its wounds and moving past civil discord. But in the post-Civil War South, one can see snapshots of a larger, more menacing picture. A picture shadowed by insurgency terrorism and chaos as 'free' black men and women remain enslaved by a South that does not completely surrender," Padrusch said.

"The truth about this era is about to become shockingly clear," Padrusch said.

Kate Hollister of the homeowners association on Vine Brook Road said the neighborhood supports the production.

"I have only talked to the women, but they all say it's great and 'can the kids go watch?'" said Hollister.

Residents are welcome to watch filming, Padrusch said, and the Police and Fire Departments will be on hand to maintain order.

There will also be opportunities for extras to appear in the production and members of the Westford Academy Theater Arts program, under the direction of Michael Towers, may also have roles.

"This is a very serious matter that is being handled with the utmost delicateness," Padrusch said.

Padrusch's last film, entitled "Bible Battles," premiered on the History Channel in December, 2005.

About Me

I worked for Tanzania's Daily News for 11 years leaving as a Senior Reporter. I love acting, films, short story writing and cooking. I blog in English and Swahili. I am a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and AFTRA.
You can contact me at chemiche3@yahoo.com.